SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Coach Rick Carlisle used the familiar term “work in progress” to describe the Mavericks going into Monday night’s game against Sacramento. The most extensive alterations are being done at center.

DeJuan Blair was scheduled to receive his third consecutive start in place of the wildly inconsistent Samuel Dalembert. In the wake of Bernard James’ strong showing in Saturday’s win at Portland, there were no guarantees Dalembert would follow Blair off the bench against the Kings.

“When guys prove they are ready, it instills confidence in everybody,” Carlisle said. “We’ve had some guys really be ready in recent games. Those are positive things for us.”

How Carlisle divided up playing time among the centers against Portland made a loud statement.

Dalembert played a season-low 11:43, only 2:22 in the second half. Dalembert seemed to drift in and out of the game. He would follow a good play such as a blocked shot by missing assignments.

Blair and James made substantial contributions to the win.

Blair had 15 points and eight rebounds. What did not show up on the stat sheet said more about his value. On the final play of the game, Blair freed up Monta Ellis to hit the winning shot by screening Wes Matthews.

The Mavericks do not need the center, whoever it is, to be a scorer. They need him to perform the duties of a complementary player. Blair, in his first season with the Mavericks, is finding his niche in that system.

“I’m getting real comfortable, and I think everybody else is getting comfortable in me,” said Blair, who spent the previous four seasons with San Antonio. “The coach is showing trust in me to start me. That’s cool.”

Carlisle praised Blair for being “a smart player.” That has enabled Blair to adapt quicker than Dalembert, also in his first season with the Mavericks.

“The longer [Blair] is playing with our guys, the more comfortable he’ll get with them,” Carlisle said.

Carlisle made a surprise move when he went to James for Dalembert at a crucial time in the third quarter. What had been a 10-point lead three minutes earlier was down to two, and the Mavericks were flat.

“We needed energy,” Carlisle said.

James provided that and more. He scored twice, once off an offensive rebound, and had four rebounds with one block in the decisive fourth quarter.

James played 11:28 overall, his most in the club’s last 45 games. In that time, Portland had three offensive rebounds that produced two points. For the rest of the game, Portland had 14 offensive rebounds that led to 23 points.

“He answered the bell and played extremely well,” Carlisle said of James. “We wouldn’t have won without him.”

The win at Portland marked the second consecutive game in which James has received double-figure minutes. He had played in only eight of the previous 19 games, getting a total of 34:46 of playing time.

The challenge for James, in his second season, is learning how to stay mentally and physically sharp while playing infrequently. He is making progress.

“Being ready is a skill most of us don’t have when we get to the NBA because we never had to deal with that before,” James said. “But I’ve been learning how to keep my mind in games.

“I’m doing everything I can to stay ready so that I’m improving instead of just sitting there hoping to get into the game. If you do that and you don’t play, it’s just a day wasted.”

James had his most productive day of the season against the Blazers. So did Blair. That is why Dalembert was moving toward the end of the bench.